Hello there, bookworms and happy Sunday! I hope you’re all well and enjoying the warmer weather and the start of the summer season. As usual, life has been pretty hectic. My dad had another surgery, I started my new job, and I’m working on another writing project. Throw in some time to read, work on the blog, and do some of the everyday things around the house and there just aren’t enough hours in the day! That being said, I’m still slowly making my way through the backlog of books that need to be reviewed and wanted to jump on here today. I recently finished a really fun (and sexy) paranormal romance trilogy that has also adapted and debuted book one on Passionflix. I can’t get enough. Let’s discuss the Wicked trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout!
Wicked (A Wicked trilogy #1)
Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.
Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.
But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.
Torn (A Wicked Trilogy #2)
Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same.
Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her.
Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him?
But as the Fae Prince begins to close in, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.
Brave (A Wicked Trilogy #3)
Ivy Morgan hasn’t been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.
It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine… and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens.
Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart.
If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies.
Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves–and, ultimately, to save herself.
Because behind every evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen….
It may go without saying that I really enjoyed this series. I’ve reviewed other paranormal and fantasy romances on the blog before, but it’s not a genre I always read. These were the first books by Armentrout I’ve read and I’ve already ordered another adult fantasy series of hers (the Blood and Ash series) that I can’t wait to read.
Since my reading has been moving slower than normal, I haven’t found as many book boyfriends as I have in years past, so I’m super thankful I’ve stumbled on to Ren Owens. I loved his chemistry with Ivy and how well they worked together when it came to the world of the fae.
When it comes to the paranormal/fantasy/and sci-fi genres, they have to be books I’m in the mood to read. Between other worlds, crazy character names, and how extreme the plots can be, sometimes I get lost and pre-occupied with all the extras that I lose sight of other more important developments and wind up detached from the book/series overall. Thankfully, that didn’t happen here. I was able to lose myself in the otherworldly atmosphere of New Orleans and the possibility of other creatures that walk among humans. Add in an Order that tries to keep things safe and two Order members who work closely together and can’t keep their hands off each other, and it’s easy to get sucked right in.
Despite having fantastical elements, Ivy and Ren have their share of everyday angst and drama. Ivy has lost everyone she’s ever cared about, and Ren is dealing with certain traumas of his childhood. Their issues bring them together and push them apart. The tension and build up while they’re trying to keep New Orleans protected from a portal opening to another world fill their shifts with intensity and sensuality.
Once they cave to their desires and other truths are revealed, they are unstoppable. Their connection is undeniable and I couldn’t get enough – but I also enjoyed the cast of supporting characters as well – dare I say it, even the prince. Villains become good and good become evil in this amazing and complex world Armentrout created.
I’ve had these books on my kindle for a long time, but I admit that they took me awhile to get to. I finally got my butt in gear when Passionflix got ready to release book one, Wicked, on their streaming platform. Seeing Ren, Ivy, Val, Tink, Merle, Brighton, The Prince, David, Trent, Brighton, and more come to life on screen and watching them interact and develop together just made the experience that much more gratifying for me. This was Passionflix’s first attempt at filming fantasy, so there are moments of cheese in there – but I keep in mind that they are a small production company so I think they did a good job with what was available to them. I’m excited to see the other two books hit the screen, and in the meantime, I’ll enjoy as much of Ivy and Ren as possible.
Until next time, bookworms – catch some sun, read some books, and stay safe out there.
Happy reading! xx
